02/02/2019: What do I like about SWADE
about 5 years ago – Sat, Feb 02, 2019 at 07:52:40 AM

Hi everyone,

Palmiro Bonafidem asked me what I like about SWADE, and rather than make a long post in the comments section, I felt it would be good topic for an update.

I have to say I really love SWADE. I like the new conditions (Distracted and Vulnerable), I love the rules for evasion. They feel a lot like Pinnacle added a dodge option to the game, and that’s pretty sweet. I can see some applications for that in an edge, or piece of cybernetics that can allow for a character to dodge bullets under certain conditions.

I like the allies rules though honestly, I don’t know if they’ve changed much.  3.0 will treat drones as allies, which makes it much easier for you to control them. We’re not using complicated rules like in 2.0 that slow down the game as you try to decide what the drone can do, where it is, etc. Now, you just control your drone as if it were an ally. 

Here’s what I have of the Drones Setting rule right now. The goal is for simplicity, rather than convoluted, crunchy rules.

Drones are your friend

Drones are everywhere in 2095. They are used for delivery services, as messengers, and especially security, and surveillance tasks. The average sprawler interacts with drones on a near-daily basis, and many own one. To reflect this, we take advantage of the Allies rules in Savage Worlds Adventurers Edition, allowing your characters to use any drones they own as allies. If your character has a Vehicle Control Interface implanted, her Leadership Edges apply to any drones she controls in combat. 

Drones come in two basic types: Basic(A) drones, and Smart drones.

Basic drones

Basic drones have animal-level Smarts. They do not have access to any Drone Edges.  You can give Basic drones simple commands, e.g. “guard this door” or “attack that person”. In general, these commands should take an Action to execute. Tasks like guarding a position would constitute a Hold Action, and can last for as long as needed, though a Basic drone tasked with guarding a position would need more direction if someone actually attempted to move past it.

Just like “human” allies, they have skills, which come in special modules. Each skill module provides a set of skills which represent the drone’s core programming, similar to Core Skills for a character. Basic drones may never have a skill module ranked higher than d6.

Basic drones can shoot or wield any mounted weapons or activate any installed tech so long as they have the associated skill.

Smart drones

Smart drones are more expensive than basic drones, because their core processing units have Artificial Intelligence. 

Smart drones are artificially intelligent. They can have skill ranks higher than d6 and are only limited by the amount of cryptodollars you want to spend. Unlike, basic drones, smart drones can accept complex commands like “Shoot anyone with a security badge and assault rifle,” or “ Provide Covering fire at point X for 2 rounds, and then move to point Y and cover that position’.

Drones can also have special Drone Edges applied to them. Smart drones also have personalities. To determine a smart drone’s personality, use the table for allied personalities in the Savage Worlds Adventurers Edition core rule book.

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Hacking

We’re taking a similar approach with hacking…yet another thing I love about SWADE. Pinnacle did 95% of the work for me! When my team and I were developing 2.0, there weren’t any hacking rules in Savage Worlds.  Now, Hacking is a skill in SWADE, and I don’t have to worry about writing a core mechanic to handle this. I just need to decide exactly how I want to implement it in a near-future setting like Interface Zero. 

Networking

Networking rules are really going to shine in 3.0. Characters are going to be able to work their contacts to get valuable information during the networking phase. Hackers can do ‘net research using their Hacking skill instead of Persuasion or Intimidation during a Networking phase. Characters with science and engineering-based skillsets can also spend a networking phase to analyze compounds, look for other clues in evidence they have collected, examine bodies, collect DNA samples….I could go on and on.

Core Skills

This also brings me to the Core Skills. In the rules, you have 5 core skills: Athletics, Common Knowledge, Notice, Persuasion, and Stealth.

IZ 3.0 will allow you to modify that list so you can make a character more in tune with its concept. I’ll be going into more detail on this in a later update, but this is part of the game where I think some improvement can be made; Core skills should be as varied and unique as the people who play the game. 

For example, if your character concept is a recluse, having Persuasion as a core skill doesn’t make much sense. Or, if you chose a physical hindrance of some sort, then maybe Athletics doesn’t work. But if that character spent a lot of time at a computer, or learning advanced skills like Medicine, or tinkered with robots and drones, then maybe repair or Piloting are better suited as core skills.

I’ll discuss more things I like in SWADE as this goes on.

We’re hoping to have the JumpStart ready very soon, and once I get approval from Pinnacle, I’ll make sure ya get it!

02/01/2019 Update: Trappings
about 5 years ago – Fri, Feb 01, 2019 at 06:23:25 AM

In this update, I want to talk a bit about trappings. As you all know, trappings are a great way to personalize powers. For example, a blast power can be a fireball, an acid bomb, or some other arcane explosion-based power depending on what trapping you use. In this way, trappings are incredibly powerful tools; they allow for tons of customization options, effectively eliminating the need for pages upon pages of individual powers with unique effects.  In short, trappings make the game more Fast, Furious, and Fun.

But their application can extend far beyond powers. Here are a few ways we’re using trappings in 3.0.

City Trappings

In IZ 2.0, we introduced a concept known as City Trappings. For those of you who aren’t familiar with them, city trappings allow a Game Master to quickly apply a set of effects to an area of a city. Whenever characters are in that part of the city, they are subject to those effects. For example, if you are a zeek, you might not be welcome in a neighborhood with the “No Zeeks!” trapping. This might affect Persuasion rolls and could even result in violence the longer you stay in the neighborhood. 

We’ll have many more of these in IZ 3.0!

Corporate Trappings

We live in a world where name-branding is everything. The designer clothes you wear, the brand name on the computer you use, the manufacturer of the car you drive; all of these labels say something about the product and what someone can expect from it. And like it or not, they also say something about the type of person you are. 

Are you a bleeding-edge razor sporting S.O.T.A chrome built in a Chiba design lab, or are you some poseur who went down to the Malmart outlet and got an OTC (Over The Counter) augment? Are your weapons and gear made by top-of-the-line manufacturers, or did you get them from some gutter-trash fence selling out of the back of his van? The difference might affect Persuasion or Intimidation checks against certain NPCs, depending on who’s brand you wear.

This is actually one of the great ironies of the cyberpunk genre; raging at the megacorporate machine while sporting the gear those same corps sell. Killing the beast with its own teeth, as it were.

But I digress…

As I mentioned above, not only does a corporate trapping affect how others view you, but it gives your gear a mechanical effect. For instance, a pistol made by Act of God Armaments might have an increased range modifier, but it costs 25% more than a gun made by other corporations. Cyber Eyes made by Kenta Cyberdynamics might improve the Wild Die from a d6 to a D8 when performing sight-based Notice checks, but they cost 75% more than a cyber eye made by Wasteland Traders.

IZ 3.0 is going to have a bunch of corporate trappings, and the GM’s guide to 2095 will also expand on these concepts!

01/31/2019 Update: The Savage Sign, and Stretch goal news!
about 5 years ago – Thu, Jan 31, 2019 at 06:54:00 AM

Hi everyone, 

I’m happy to announce that we’re going to have a Savage Tale published in the Savage Sign!

Inside The Savage Sign you’ll find a bundle of Savage goodies to enhance your fun. There are four immersive settings, exciting new character options, awesome gear, new custom Setting Rules, creature features, standalone Savage Tales, short stories, a six-page comic, and more—to make your Fun Faster and more Furious than ever!

Check out their kickstarter for more information!

Stretch Goal Revisions

I’ve also been looking over the stretch goals, and I promised a surprise for you, so here it is: I’m moving the Solar System, the Euro/China/Russia book and the Interface Zero: Dark Pathways books up on the list and modifying the VTT rewards and the savage tale rewards stretch goals so that they are a part of each stretch goal!

Each time we unlock a stretch goal for a book, you’ll also get some new tokens, and a new Savage Tale! The modified stretch goals now look like this:

$33,000:Malmart Catalog 4 VTT Tokens and a New Savage Tale: If we reach this stretch goal, we’ll wrap up the malmart catalog and do some VTT Tokens and a brand new Savage Tale! The Malmart Catalog is a 96 page supplement that gives you more goodies to choose from when outfitting your characters. More cybernetics, vehicles, weapons, and tech to enhance your game! Much of this book has already been written, but we need to convert to the SWADE rules, do layout, run it through editing, and order artwork.

$47,000: The Europe/Russia/China Source book: If we reach this stretch goal, we’ll wrap up the Europe/Russia/China source book and do some more VTT Tokens for Online platforms like Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds! We’ll also do a brand new Savage Tale! We’ll wrap up this 128 page supplement and give you everything you need to know about the war between China and Russia, and the fractured nations of Europe. The manuscript has been written, but it needs heavy editing and rewrites to update it to 2095, artwork, and conversion to SWADE rules. 

$62,000: The Zero’s guide to the Solar System: Another book that is in development, the Zero’s Guide to the Solar System needs more writing, artwork, editing, and conversion to SWADE. This book will be an estimated 128 pages in length.If we reach this stretch goal, we’ll wrap up the source book and do some more VTT Tokens, a brand new Savage Tale, and digital maps for Online platforms like Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds!

$75,000: Interface Zero: Dark Pathways (working title): An 96 -128 page alternate setting book, Dark Pathways gives you everything you need to know about introducing fantasy and horror elements to 2095! If you’ve seen movies like Aliens, Bright, or The Matrix, you’ll have a good idea of what we plan on doing here. The book will come with a sample setting, new gear, edges, and much more! We’ll also do more VTT gaming maps, and more Savage Tales!

 $80,000: Corporate Profiles: This 32 page supplement  marks a new line for Interface Zero. In These supplements, we’ll discuss  various megacorporations as they exist in 2095.  

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I'll update the main page in a little bit to reflect the changes.

01/30/2019: You reached the funding goal!
about 5 years ago – Wed, Jan 30, 2019 at 01:53:54 PM

Congratulations!

Your support has pushed us over the top! 

Thank you so much for helping us get this far, but we have a long way to go, so let's get the word out and push towards getting these stretch goals reached!

01/29/2019: What a start!
about 5 years ago – Tue, Jan 29, 2019 at 08:08:40 PM

Wow,

This puppy is moving along! I want to thank all of you so much for your trust and support!  I'd really love to stay up all night and monitor this, but I'm getting old, and need sleep. I suspect my keyboard needs a break from me hitting Ctrl+R all day long too ;)

I'm so thankful for all of your support. If we can get this funded by tomorrow, I'm going to give you a surprise too!

For now, I'll leave you with the preliminary sketch for the GM screen (I_just_got it). This baby is being done by  Aaron Riley, who has done a bunch of work for Pinnacle Entertainment Group's settings!

I suspect he's gonna knock this one out of the park!